Justin Williams
- Thread starter VF21
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I come back after Easter and what do I find?
Two wosses. Not so good.
But I see that my man JWill^2 has been showing some of his full potential in the meanwhile.
GOOD!
Who wants to bet that he's going to average 10/12/3bl over the remaining games if he plays the same amount of minutes?
And here come some more wosses. Kenny Thomas, where art thou in time of need?
Whatever. Tim Duncan, prepare to get pwned tonight. You won't even know what's going to hit you (well, swat that ball into your face).
Two wosses. Not so good.
But I see that my man JWill^2 has been showing some of his full potential in the meanwhile.
GOOD!
Who wants to bet that he's going to average 10/12/3bl over the remaining games if he plays the same amount of minutes?
And here come some more wosses. Kenny Thomas, where art thou in time of need?
Whatever. Tim Duncan, prepare to get pwned tonight. You won't even know what's going to hit you (well, swat that ball into your face).
Exactly, Brad and SAR need a defensive athletic big next to them to make their games better. Now the only thing I see stunting Justin is K9 hanging around. If we cannot trade Thomas outright and hopefully not take on too much garbage, then I say we wave him or tell him he is 3rd string behind Justin and SAR at PF. I really hope we can convince SAR to keep doing what he's doing and be our 4/5 backup and start Justin at 4 and Brad at 5. Also hopefully we tank the rest of the year and get a good young big still.
I love Justin, this kid makes me keep watching the games and hoping he keeps filling the stats sheets. Who said he isn't offensive? I watched the Griz games last night on and off trying to get my 240 gallon fish tank set up, but I'll have to really watch it good now!!!!
Besides the rebounds which we know he can do, he is getting a good # of blocks, as well as points. He goes up strong in 1 motion for the rebound and slam instead of putting up garbage like K9 and putting up a soft layup to hard of the backboard and missing it.
I'm also very happy with Cisco.
It would be nice if we could play him more and tell K9 and Corliss to take the rest of the year off and cut Brad's minutes since he has had a lot of problems with his foot. I really like the combo of Miller and Williams...Miller with the nice passes and screens and outside shooting, while Williams does what Miller doesn't much in rebounding, shot blocking and just all around guarding the hoop.
We didn't have a 2nd round pick for a few years, but the pickup of Williams sure saved our behind, this kid is showing up many 1st round picks already in his early career. Now GP please sign the kid, we know he can play and do what we need so badly. He will be cheap and is definately not a roster filler like Pot and Hart were. This kid should be in the 8 man rotation!
I love Justin, this kid makes me keep watching the games and hoping he keeps filling the stats sheets. Who said he isn't offensive? I watched the Griz games last night on and off trying to get my 240 gallon fish tank set up, but I'll have to really watch it good now!!!!
Besides the rebounds which we know he can do, he is getting a good # of blocks, as well as points. He goes up strong in 1 motion for the rebound and slam instead of putting up garbage like K9 and putting up a soft layup to hard of the backboard and missing it.
I'm also very happy with Cisco.
It would be nice if we could play him more and tell K9 and Corliss to take the rest of the year off and cut Brad's minutes since he has had a lot of problems with his foot. I really like the combo of Miller and Williams...Miller with the nice passes and screens and outside shooting, while Williams does what Miller doesn't much in rebounding, shot blocking and just all around guarding the hoop.
We didn't have a 2nd round pick for a few years, but the pickup of Williams sure saved our behind, this kid is showing up many 1st round picks already in his early career. Now GP please sign the kid, we know he can play and do what we need so badly. He will be cheap and is definately not a roster filler like Pot and Hart were. This kid should be in the 8 man rotation!
I hope for the remaining games that we play:
Price/Salmons
KMart/Douby
Cisco/Artest/Salmons
Williams/SAR
Miller/SAR
I know with the vets this is hard to impossible to do, but we can still start our usual Bibby/Artest/Miller and then just play the kids big over 25+ minutes a game. Williams, Price, and Cisco are showing they can play very good when given some good minutes, not 1 minute here and there. We need to play these guys and see what we have going forward. We might not be too far into the rebuild as we though after all.
Price/Salmons
KMart/Douby
Cisco/Artest/Salmons
Williams/SAR
Miller/SAR
I know with the vets this is hard to impossible to do, but we can still start our usual Bibby/Artest/Miller and then just play the kids big over 25+ minutes a game. Williams, Price, and Cisco are showing they can play very good when given some good minutes, not 1 minute here and there. We need to play these guys and see what we have going forward. We might not be too far into the rebuild as we though after all.
Miller will be tired and should come off the bench. Williams and SAR should start against the Spurs. I see a bright future for Williams, once he puts on some more muscle and learns some post up moves and hook shots, the guy is really going to be good. I really see him as a PF once he get a couple more offensive tools in his arsenal more then a Center. That is a waste of his athletism and better suited to a aging big NBA vet like Miller and SAR over a young athletic and hungry young pup like Justin!
Yeah, once he adds those minor details.
Justin is never going to be an offensive player. This is what a defensive 4/5 roleplayer type looks like folks. Know we haven't seen one in these parts in a long time, but this is what they are. Never will score, shoot, or look pretty and "skilled", but that's not their purpose or value.
Exactly, scoring is not his strength, but on our team I can see him averaging around 12-15 pts & 9-13 rebounds just with hustle, good timing, and put backs. On the other hand a Ben Wallace is very unproductive offensively where Justin is working on it and is so young still. I really see a big 1st becoming a defensive stopper and next working on his offensive game by adding post moves and hooks, and a decent shot from not too far away. He should be playing by the basket anyways so why is there a need to develop a 3 point shot? On the Kings this is a requirement as Brad has been asked to fire away from behind the line.
I don't think it's impossible at all to play the young guys over the vets. You make the decision. You do it. End of story. It's not like we would be violating the second law of thermodynamics. The season is over. We're preparing for next year. We know what the vets can do, boy do we know. So now we should see what the young guys can do.
I want Price, Douby, Williams and Cisco to play 35+ minutes a game. If they wanted to play whichever vet(s) for the remaining minutes, I don't really care. What I don't want to see is a charade in which the two guys that we are assured of getting traded - Artest and Bibby - are the one's getting 35+ minutes a game. That, to me, is beyond a Kafka nightmare. Everyday that passes with this charade is one more day in which I have less and less confidence in this organization.
I want Price, Douby, Williams and Cisco to play 35+ minutes a game. If they wanted to play whichever vet(s) for the remaining minutes, I don't really care. What I don't want to see is a charade in which the two guys that we are assured of getting traded - Artest and Bibby - are the one's getting 35+ minutes a game. That, to me, is beyond a Kafka nightmare. Everyday that passes with this charade is one more day in which I have less and less confidence in this organization.
See...these are the kinds of things where if Justin never does that, never even sniffs that, nobody should be disappointed in the least. Without meaning too you have inadvertently annointed him as a Top 10 center and All Star candidate after a couple of good energy games in the season's garbagetime.
Teams will adapt and adjust once they realize they have to -- not til next year most likely. It will get harder. I have been lobbying for Justin to make this roster and get a shot since last summer, when I was amazed to see that our front office could not distinguish between a nice little hustling tweener in Admundsen and a potential lane clogger in Williams. But if he ever gets to the point where he's a dependable rotation 4/5 it will be a great day. I agree with you with the sorts of things he would need to add to take the next step -- a little half hook, maybe a standstill jumper out to 15' etc. -- but those are the very skills that are difficult to master and which separate the best bigs in the world from the rest. If they were easy to develop, everybody would already have them. Most guys can never master them at all, at least not at an NBA level.
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Thomas has to go, more then anyone, even Bibby. With him out of the picture, I really think Justin Williams will flourish. Sure teams will adapt to him, but with his energy and athletism and Defense I see him being around for awhile. Adding the hook shot and 15 foot jumper is not something anyone can add, but with lots of time in the gym at practice and hitting the weights I like what I see. He already had improved his free throw shooting, it's not great, but it's better then it was in the summer and earlier in the year.
More then anything giving the young guys meaningful minutes is the key to success. KMart has done good with the opportunity given to him and I hope the other youngins do the same. Williams at his worst does what we need the most and that's play D and clog the lane. He and Cisco, also Price are pups with their infinite energy and heart and if that lends itself to being a starter or just a backup, you need those guys. I like how they all are defensive as well. Being defensive in general lends itself to being energetic and daring, and aggressive..you also need to be smart so you don't draw fouls everytime. I like our future with these guys and our steps in the right direction to be a defensive lock down team...also with Artest and Salmons.
More then anything giving the young guys meaningful minutes is the key to success. KMart has done good with the opportunity given to him and I hope the other youngins do the same. Williams at his worst does what we need the most and that's play D and clog the lane. He and Cisco, also Price are pups with their infinite energy and heart and if that lends itself to being a starter or just a backup, you need those guys. I like how they all are defensive as well. Being defensive in general lends itself to being energetic and daring, and aggressive..you also need to be smart so you don't draw fouls everytime. I like our future with these guys and our steps in the right direction to be a defensive lock down team...also with Artest and Salmons.
My best case scenario with Williams is a spot starter and a 6th/7th man off the bench (depending on if the big is in foul trouble or if we bring a guard off the bench to rest another guard).
If he gets minutes over the season I can see him being a Scot Pollard type player. Hustle baskets, and good rebounding, also giving us an inside presence.
If next season Williams averages 20 or so minutes a game look for JWill2 to average about;
8.2ppg - 7.5rpg - 1.3bpg and an assist or assist and a half per game. You heard it here first! The master of predictions I am!
These stats are great off the bench. JWill is a hustle player, and it's instant energy off the bench. I think next year we will utilize Willaims, and Price more off the bench. They infect others with the energy, and they make players around them better.
Oh one last thing... I can see us starting a guy like Williams at PF in the future if we got Oden in the draft, or a true center that can do the things Miller cant (inside play). If Williams is to remain a undersized backup center and never develop PF type skills than the minutes will always be backup type minutes.
If he gets minutes over the season I can see him being a Scot Pollard type player. Hustle baskets, and good rebounding, also giving us an inside presence.
If next season Williams averages 20 or so minutes a game look for JWill2 to average about;
8.2ppg - 7.5rpg - 1.3bpg and an assist or assist and a half per game. You heard it here first! The master of predictions I am!
These stats are great off the bench. JWill is a hustle player, and it's instant energy off the bench. I think next year we will utilize Willaims, and Price more off the bench. They infect others with the energy, and they make players around them better.
Oh one last thing... I can see us starting a guy like Williams at PF in the future if we got Oden in the draft, or a true center that can do the things Miller cant (inside play). If Williams is to remain a undersized backup center and never develop PF type skills than the minutes will always be backup type minutes.
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Like everyone else, I have really enjoyed watching Justin play these last several games. I'm not going to let myself get too excited about him though until he's offered a contract for next year. I know that he's playing on the summer league team again, but I think management will wait until the last possible minute like normal. This is good in the sense that it keeps your players working hard if they don't have guaranteed money, but it sucks for us fans knowing we've got something valuable and it's not locked up.
On another note, I loved watching Williams and Miller play together last night. Brad was able to hang out farther from the basket and play where he is more comfortable. He still managed to get ten rebounds too. My theory: he's not tough enough to battle down low anymore, but he's still bigger and meaner than most perimeter players that might grab those midrange rebounds. It was nice to be happy about having Miller on the team again, even if we were just playing Memphis.
Geoff, please don't wait until October to resign Justin.
On another note, I loved watching Williams and Miller play together last night. Brad was able to hang out farther from the basket and play where he is more comfortable. He still managed to get ten rebounds too. My theory: he's not tough enough to battle down low anymore, but he's still bigger and meaner than most perimeter players that might grab those midrange rebounds. It was nice to be happy about having Miller on the team again, even if we were just playing Memphis.
Geoff, please don't wait until October to resign Justin.
My best case scenario with Williams is a spot starter and a 6th/7th man off the bench (depending on if the big is in foul trouble or if we bring a guard off the bench to rest another guard).
If he gets minutes over the season I can see him being a Scot Pollard type player. Hustle baskets, and good rebounding, also giving us an inside presence.
If next season Williams averages 20 or so minutes a game look for JWill2 to average about;
8.2ppg - 7.5rpg - 1.3bpg and an assist or assist and a half per game. You heard it here first! The master of predictions I am!
These stats are great off the bench. JWill is a hustle player, and it's instant energy off the bench. I think next year we will utilize Willaims, and Price more off the bench. They infect others with the energy, and they make players around them better.
Oh one last thing... I can see us starting a guy like Williams at PF in the future if we got Oden in the draft, or a true center that can do the things Miller cant (inside play). If Williams is to remain a undersized backup center and never develop PF type skills than the minutes will always be backup type minutes.
If he gets minutes over the season I can see him being a Scot Pollard type player. Hustle baskets, and good rebounding, also giving us an inside presence.
If next season Williams averages 20 or so minutes a game look for JWill2 to average about;
8.2ppg - 7.5rpg - 1.3bpg and an assist or assist and a half per game. You heard it here first! The master of predictions I am!
These stats are great off the bench. JWill is a hustle player, and it's instant energy off the bench. I think next year we will utilize Willaims, and Price more off the bench. They infect others with the energy, and they make players around them better.
Oh one last thing... I can see us starting a guy like Williams at PF in the future if we got Oden in the draft, or a true center that can do the things Miller cant (inside play). If Williams is to remain a undersized backup center and never develop PF type skills than the minutes will always be backup type minutes.
I'm really not liking the Scott Pollard comparisons. Just because Williams is not an offensive player, that does not mean he's a "hustle player". A hustle player is someone who plays hard to compensate for their relative lack of skill. Their value comes in their willingness to dive for loose balls, dish out fouls when needed, and never give up on a play. Williams, on the other hand, has two very developed skills: rebounding and shotblocking. He's excelled at both in every level of basketball he's played. That makes him a defensive role-player, but be honest here, would you describe Brad Miller as anything but an offensive role-player? Peja Stojakovic? Mike Bibby? Kevin Martin? They're all offensive role-players with various levels of below-average defense. If you're a limited player with offensive skills you are a starter but if you are a limited player with defensive skills that makes you a "hustle player"? No, I disagree with that assesment. Defensive role-players are just as valuable as offensive role-players. And if you want to have a good defensive squad you have to be willing to give major minutes to your defensive role players too. Williams doesn't need to develop his back to the basket game to help this team, he just has to do what he already does really well -- block shots and rebound. Everything else is gravy.
I didn't mean hustle player as in compensating for below average skills by virtue of hustle.
The Scot Pollard comparison is actually a compliment. Scot (for the Kings) brought it every night he was out there, and gave us energy off the bench. I am one of JWill's biggest fan out of Wyoming. Last year I was wanting to get a 2nd round draft pick just to get this guy. When he went undrafted I had this weird feeling that we were going to invite him to summer camp. We did and the rest is history.
I just hope there isn't a team like the Knicks who would try to snatch him from us. The Knicks are known for overpaying a big man who had a couple good games (ala Jerome James)
The Scot Pollard comparison is actually a compliment. Scot (for the Kings) brought it every night he was out there, and gave us energy off the bench. I am one of JWill's biggest fan out of Wyoming. Last year I was wanting to get a 2nd round draft pick just to get this guy. When he went undrafted I had this weird feeling that we were going to invite him to summer camp. We did and the rest is history.
I just hope there isn't a team like the Knicks who would try to snatch him from us. The Knicks are known for overpaying a big man who had a couple good games (ala Jerome James)
Yeah, once he adds those minor details.
Justin is never going to be an offensive player. This is what a defensive 4/5 roleplayer type looks like folks. Know we haven't seen one in these parts in a long time, but this is what they are. Never will score, shoot, or look pretty and "skilled", but that's not their purpose or value.
Justin is never going to be an offensive player. This is what a defensive 4/5 roleplayer type looks like folks. Know we haven't seen one in these parts in a long time, but this is what they are. Never will score, shoot, or look pretty and "skilled", but that's not their purpose or value.
Well my thoughts on Justin seem to be proving right. He is an excellent pick and roll player. He is able to catch passes under the basket and finish very well. That is scoring so Petrie has ZERO excuse to drop Justin this time!!!